Latch device for refrigerator and like doors



April 27 1926. 1,582,884.

- T, o. SCHRADER I LATCH DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATOR AND LIKE DOORS Filed July 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Zndenidiv YYzomasOaSchr ad;

April 2;? lgfii'in 1,582,884

T. Q, SCHRADER LATCH DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATOR AND L IKE DOORS Filed July 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

tJhilTED STATES [PATENT oFricE.

'il-IOIY ZAS O. SCL-IRADER, OF ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DENT HARD- VJABE 00., OF

FULLERTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION' OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LATCH DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATOR AND LIKE DOORS.

Application filed J'uly l l, 1925 Scrial No. 43,473.

To all 245710727, z't may. concern: v

Be it known that I, TIIOll/IAS O. SGHRADER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Allentown, iigh and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Latch Device for Refrigerator and like Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a latching device for refrigerator and other doors, of a type in which the tongue of the locking member is cooked, and held under spring tension, in such condition until by the slamming of the door. the tongue is brought into contact with the bumper of a keeper member, a fixture of the structure, to cause release of the tongue and movement of the lever-rod, as part thereof, and the tongue, thereby to instantly drop into the recessed portion of the keeper; the front of the keeper being provided with a slantingly inclined face, nose or projection over which the tongue rides in releasing itself from a cocked condition for the opening of the door. 7

The structural arrangement of the latching device above defined is such that to enable the lock to function, in looking a refrigerator or other door when in an open condition, it is necessary by means of the bell-crank lever-rod of the latching member to cock the tongue a part thereof so as to be held under spring tension; and by thenslamming the door the tongue is caused to beautomatically released from its cocked condition, under spr ng tension, and to drop into the recessed portion of the said keeper and to. be so held until the tongue is again cocked by the operation of the said leveierod to permit the tongue to again be elevated and so as to readily ride over the face edge of the nose of the keeper for thus fecting release the opening of the refrigerator or other door.

To which ends, my present invention consists of a lock constructively arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and characteristic features of my present invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator with a lock applied thereto, embodying the main features of my said invention.

in the county of Le- I of thesame and thereby of Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively enlarged elevational views of the keeper and latching member of the device.

Fig. 4, is a side elevational view of the keeper member, showingthe structural arrangement of the same.

F 5, is a rear view of the latching 11181117. her with the tongue in a cocked condition and with the lever-rod depressed and the arrangement of the spring for holding the pivoted tongue and lever-rod as part thereof, un er spring tension, for functioning, as defined.

Fig. 6, is a view in section taken upon the line 66.of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7, is a View latching member with the lever-rod removed.

Fig. 8, is a view of the left-hand side of Fig. 7. i

Fig. 9, is a view of the right-hand side of F i 7. 1 i

Fig. 10, is a face View of the plate shown in Figs. and 6. i

Fig. 11 is a view in elevation of the leverrod' detached.

Fig. 12, is a top or plan View of Fig. 11. r

I Fig. 13, is a view in section taken upon the lines 13 18- of Fig.11; and l Fig. 14, is a view in cross-section of the locking member. 7

Referring tothe'drawings, a. is an ordinary refrigerator and a, is the doorv thereof' The lock, however, is adapted for other uses besides such in connection with a refrigerator.

The latching device of my invention is shown applied to the refrigerator a, and

door a and the keeper 5 is secured to the tion of the refrigerator or other door By thus slantingly arranging the convex surface or edge of the projection b the cam is adapted asarranged to be readily shifted from the keeper Z) to again assume a cocked condition for closing the door of the structure.

in rear elevation of the b and in the front is The cam 0 of the lever-rod c is loosely pivoted to a post 0 formed as a part of the housing 0 for the lever-rod 0 as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and l t. The cam c is formed integral with the lever rod 0 which latter is arranged in curvilinear form and within the housing 0 and has formed thereon a stud forming a seat or bearing 0 for one end of a coiled spring (Z to engage, the opposite end being held in a right angular pocket forming a seat 0 therefor, as cl arly shown in Fig. 5, under compression and with the lever rod in a horizontal position and in a condition for further functioning, as required. The action of the lever rod is that of a bell-crank in operating the cam 0 to cock the same and. for enabling it then by the slamming of a door to which the device is applied, to be released under the influence of the spring (Z, and of causing instantly the cam to drop into the keeper opening L to thereby hold the door in a closed condition against the front of the refrig'erator or other structure a.

On the back plate 0 of the latching mem ber c is shown struck up therefrom on the inner side a lug 0 forming a seat onto which the cam c is shifted and rests through the action of the lever-rod 0 while the cam is in a cooked condition, and for permitting thereafter the same to be released through the shutting of the door and of the cam being brought into Contact with the bumper b of the keeper Z), as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

In practice the casing or housing 0 is of cast metal and the closure plate 0 is of stamped metal. The closure plate is apertured as at e in register with the aperture in post 0 and is secured with respect to said post by screw f. Thus, should any of the parts within the casing 0 need adjustment or replacement it is merely necessary to loosen screw 7 and remove closure plate 0', whereupon access may be readily hadto casing c. The closure plate 0 has stamped out therefrom the lug 0 before described, which is arranged at an inclination to the;face of plate 0 so that when the lever-rod 0 moves from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 8 the surface 9 of the leverrod rides upon the constant incline of part 0 and thereby causes the lever-rod c to tilt endwise upon the lug 7L thereof against the action of spring d, This longitudinal tilting of the lever-rod causes the cam c of the lever-rod to frictionally engage to a greater degree keeper b In order to retain the leverrod in the position shown in Fig. 5 the end wall 1' of casing c is notched as at j, with which notched portion the lever-rod is adapted to engage. The part designated it in Fig. 11 functions as a pivot for the lock device to release part 0 when the lock device is in a cocked )osition as en 'a ed b notch j of the casing a when door a is about give satisfactoiy and reliable results, it is' to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what" i claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination with a keeper therefor, a door latch comprising a bolt including a handle rockingly movable into and out of latching engagement with the keeper, said bolt having a right angle projection immediately below its rocking connection, and having a rotative movement about its longitudinal axis into and out of resting position, a casing within which said bolt is lo-' cated, a vertically disposed combined bolt stop and spring support carried by said ca ing, a longitudinally disposed spring arranged between said bolt projection and said stop and support which spring presses the bolt into said latching engagement; the bolt being movable from the support by striking the keeper.

2. In combination with a keeper therefor, a door latch comprising a bolt including a handle rockingly movable into and out of latching engagement with the keeper, said bolt having a. right angle projection immediately below its rocking connection, and having a rotative movement about its longitudinal axis into and out of resting position, a casing within which said bolt is located, said casing having a handle opening which opening is notched to hold the latching end of said bolt against the rear wall of said casing in the unlatched position of said bolt, a vertically disposed combined bolt stop and spring support carried by said casing;

a longitudinally disposed spring arranged between said bolt projection and said stop and support which spring presses the bolt into said latching engagement; the bolt be- I ing movable from the support by the keeper.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature.

THOS. O. SCI-TRADER.

striking 

